Game On
by UlurNaga
Summary: The General's been at the top just a little too long for her liking...and she's about to knock him back. Full Summary inside, rated M for Lex's language and possible adult situations later. Mentions of past TsengOC, possible SephirothOC DISCONTINUED.
1. Contention

What do you get when you combine Jenova Cells, a 20-week-old fetus, lots of Mako and crazy Shinra scientists?

Me.

I bet most of you were planning on saying Sephiroth right? Well, unfortunately you're wrong! He's not the only genetically modified semi-Ancient person with super-human abilities. No...there's a new kid on the block! I have all the same abilities he does, I am just as stong, I'm twice as cool and I'm not the tiniest bit afraid of him! He's been floating around on his high horse just a bit too long, and I'm here to show him a little taste of reality.

Prepare yourself, Sephiroth. There's competition in the mix.

Game On.

***

_Lazard...Lazard, Lazard...where is that office? Maybe I'm on the wrong-ah! Here we go!_

I stopped dead in my tracks, seeing the frosted glass door with lettering on it.

**Shinra SOLDIER Director.**

**Lazard Deusericus**

I read the words several times, slowly, so that I knew I was in the right place. I was...nervous. I mean, when you're requested to be the first female candidate for SOLDIER, it's a pretty big deal...especially when I will get to go on missions with the "_greatest_" 1st Class SOLDIER ever...note the sarcasm. Yeah, yeah I know what you're gonna say! Sephiroth is a hero, he saves lives, fights for the good of the Planet, against evil or some shit...Blah, blah blabbity blah! I tell you what else Sephiroth does. He insults people, he snobs them off, he kills innocent people when Shinra clicks its fingers, he acts like he's _sooo_ much better than people who admire him, he-actually...I'm gonna cut myself off right there because I could go on all day and then some! Right now, I am standing in the corridor with my hand on the door knob, insulting Sephiroth in my head...

Snapping out of my daze, I opened the door.

"Uh...Director Deusericus?" I called, looking around the large, conferance style room.

"Miss Albright! Welcome!" Lazard called, raising his head from a stack of papers. He stood to greet me, shaking my hand with a smile. "Nice to see you arrived safely."

I nodded. "Yeah...pretty rough trip though. Gongaga isn't exactly close. Here are my papers, Director. I filled them out as required."

The blonde man nodded and gave a quick chuckle.

"Please, Miss Albright. Just call me Lazard."

I nodded again, smiling politely. I handed him the small stack of paperwork that contained all my information. My parents, my birthplace, experiments performed on me, and there was even a journal with detailed records of my progress as a fetus and child.

The latter of which I had sworn Lazard to keep under lock and key at all times unless directed so by me.

Once all the official work was completed, Lazard handed me a folded black uniform. SOLDIER attire...

"Now, Miss Albright. We had the uniform tailored to fit you a little bit better. Men's attire wouldn't be very comfortable for you I suppose." he smiled, "There is a room over there you can change in."

I thanked him and went into the small room, changing into the new outift. Unfortunately this meant I had to remove my favourite black cargos and my beloved blue turtleneck. These were replaced with black, loose fitting heavy cotton pants, a high necked, fine knitwear tank top in the same colour, steel shoulder plates and the trademark Shinra SOLDIER belt and shoulder strap.

I stuffed my other clothes into the travel bag I carried, and exited the room. I saluted Lazard and thanked him. Then I turned to leave.

"Oh, and Miss Albright!" he called suddenly.

I turned, halfway out the door. "Yeah?"

"Welcome to Shinra SOLDIER 1st Class."

***

Let me tell you something...finding the Briefing Room was just a teensy bit harder than I had expected. See, I'm not good with directions. I can't tell left and right without looking at my hands first, and I don't remember names of places very well.

On a positive note, I found the cafeteria with apparent ease. Trust my stomach to find food. Hehe...

It took me half an hour to finally locate the elusive Briefing Room, and when I did, my feet were aching. I still hadn't properly broken in the SOLDIER boots, though they were otherwise pretty comfortable.

I made my way through the door, dumped my bag onto the floor of the little room and headed towards the next door. It slid open easily and revealed a small conference room. Sitting in the seats were Tseng of the Turks (I was familiar with him), 1st Class General Angeal, a young man about my age with spiky black locks...and _him_.

The smug, silver haired 1st Class "Legend" whom I had never met, and had hoped to keep it that way.

All four of them were staring at me.

"Uh...hi?" I muttered, giving them a quick two finger salute. Tseng stood up to introduce me.

"Gentlemen, meet Alexis Albright. The first woman to be accepted to SOLDIER as a 1st Class candidate. Miss Albright, a little information about yourself if you please." The dot on his head was annoying me already. I really wanted to poke it...but resisted the urge.

"Thanks Tseng. Hey there everyone. Um...Let's see...uh-I'm 21 this October, I really like spicy food, all my friends call me Lex..." I paused and put a finger on my chin, trying to think of some other facts about myself, "...I was born in Nibelheim, but I moved to Gongaga when I was 15-"

"Hey! You're from Gongaga?! Me too!" The guy with the spiky black hair stood from his seat with a grin. "So you're a country girl huh?"

I gave a laughed and headed to my seat, next to him. "Yeah, I guess I am. What's your name?"

"Zack Fair! Best 1st Class SOLDIER there ever was!" he exclaimed smugly.

"Hardly." Sephiroth muttered snidely. At this comment, I turned and glared at him.

"That's rich, coming the man with the long girly hair." I snapped.

I noticed Tseng, Angeal and Zack's eyes all widen a little at my comment.

The silver haired man narrowed a glare at me, causing me to snort.

"You're gonna have to glare at me a lot harder to scare me, Kiddo." I laughed. Then I turned my attention to Tseng. "So, Turk! What's my first assignment!"

"Kiddo?" I heard Sephiroth mutter under his breathe. His jade eyes never stopped burning at me through the whole Briefing.

I turned my attention away from the up-himself snob, and focused on Tseng's information.

"There have been Wutai Spies located in the Slums. The company feels that they may be preparing to round up recruits for an Anti-Shinra movement. You must eliminate them. Angeal. You and Zack are assigned to start from the Sector 1 Slums." After a slight pause, he turned in Sephiroth' direction, and then mine. "Sephiroth and Alexis will start from Sector 8. Zack and Angeal with move upwards in the Sectors, while Sephiroth and Alexis move down in number. This way, if any Wutai Spies attempt to change Sectors, you can trap them between you."

Suddenly, I grasped what had been said. "Wait a second! Does that mean I have to work with Silverlocks?!"

I heard Zack snort at my remark, earning him a glare from Sephiroth.

"Yes, Alexis. You have to work with Sephiroth."

I pouted childishly. "And what did I do to deserve a sentence like that?"

Angeal chuckled. "Let's go. The sooner we eliminate the Wutai Spies, the sooner you can part ways with...Silverlocks."

At this, Zack couldn't hold in his laughter. he burst out into fits of childish giggles, making me laugh as well. We did this for several moments until we left the Briefing Room, then we managed to regain composure.

"Okay!" I exclaimed, breathing deeply. I turned my gaze onto Sephiroth, who was glaring at me again. "On to the Sector 8 Slums! Mush on Silver Husky!"

I laughed as I jogged lazily towards the elevator, the tall man ignoring me completely.

**Sephiroth's P.O.V**

_Silver Husky? Silverlocks? __**Kiddo**__?!_ Who on the Planet did this girl think she was? Here I am, a 1st Class SOLDIER, a hero, a _legend_, and this girl thinks she has the right to insult me?

I don't think so.

Turning my gaze lazily to her, I saw her knee bouncing furiously. She was tapping her fingers on the seat of the train, whistling a tune. She looked around the train with widened eyes, observing every detail. Her hair was black, contrasting with the icey jade colour of her eyes. The vibrancy of those annoying orbs was similar to Zack Fair's, only the colour was much different. I noticed when the lights on the train caught her gaze just right, her irises were almost transparent.

I couldn't help but glare down at her.

That bouncing knee was irritating me no end. In a flash, I snapped my hand down and onto her kneecap, making her gasp. I kept my hand firmly on her knee, stopping the irritating motion.

"What the hell-"

"Stop. Bouncing." I growled, glaring at her.

"Let go, moron." she snapped, slapping my hand roughly.

"Not until you stop that ridiculous notion." I hissed in retort.

Suddenly, she grinned...rather sadistically.

"Let go now, or I'll scream rape."

"What-?!"

"Let. Go. Mor-on!" she growled, pushing my clenching hand off.

I uttered a huff and crossed my arms. The train was silent again for a few minutes.

Then she started bouncing her knee again.

**Lex's P.O.V**

Oh boy! Annoying him is just THAT much fun! I gotta tell ya, seeing his face narrow as I bounced my knee again just made me want to annoy him all over again! I swear to God, his right eye twitched.

Stupid moron. He thinks he's so tough! Well I'm tougher! Adjusting the Materia on my belt, I checked over it to see how much I had.

Mastered Thundara, Level 2 Blizzara, Level 4 Cura, HP Up, Mastered Vit Up and a Level 3 Bio Materia. A fairly nice assortment, if I do say so myself. My personal favourite is the Bio Materia. Makes people go green. I also had a couple of Summons stashed in my pocket...just incase. Being a woman, I was entitled to more accesories. I wore a Pearl Necklace, Iron Bangle, a Fire Ring and a Frost Armlet. So I'm protected from Poison, Silence and Ice...plus I can make flames go around my weapons...just clever aren't I?

Sephiroth's Materia was all Mastered, of course. What else can he do with his spare time? It's not like he has friends he can drink his time away with. Which reminds me...

"Hey Silverlocks!" I exclaimed, turning to him with a snide grin. "How much grog can you handle before you pass out?"

He gave me the laziest glare I've ever seen. Pfft! My sister could glare meaner than that! Loser.

"What are you babbling on about?" he drawled, resting his hand on his forehead.

"I said, how much grog can you handle? Y'know, like booze! Fire-whiskey, beer, tequila, Yagermeister, mixers. That stuff! I bet I could totally outdrink you!"

He sighed angrily at me. I was annoying him again.

"Go ahead and try...perhaps you'll get alcohol poisoning." he muttered.

I snickered at him, none too quietly either. "Pussy. No wonder you have no real friends."

"Excuse me?" he snapped, his jade eyes burned a hole in my forehead...metophorically speaking obviously.

"You heard me. How can anyone have friends if they can't even handle a simple booze challenge? I bet even my Grandmother could drink better!"

I had a sudden, disturbing image of my Gran sitting on a barstool with a mile-high pint in her hand, shouting profanities at Sephiroth. This made me snicker again. Good old Gran...she's so awesome!

"Your...Grandmother?" he mused.

Before I could further poke fun at him, the train pulled to an abrupt halt. We had _finally_ reached the Sector 8 Slums. I jumped up from my seat and headed to the doors of the train. They slid open and I practically jumped onto the platform.

"Alright! Watch out, bad guys! Lex Albright is on the case!" I exclaimed, pumping my gloved fists into the air.

I heard Sephiroth growl in an annoyed tone. "Would you stop already?!" he snapped, walking ahead of me towards the stairs, "You're making a fool of yourself."

Honestly, I couldn't help but laugh at him. Not with him, _AT_ him. His arrogance was truly astounding.

"Better to be a witty fool, than a foolish wit. Shakespeare's words, I believe." I retorted, running up the stairs past him. Upon reaching the landing I could see the Slums...They were huge! How did Tseng expect us to find the Wutai Spies in all this bustle?

I felt a finger slide under my chin and jerk my mouth closed. Sephiroth smirked as he shut my jaw before continuing on.

"Hey! What was that fo-?!"

"If you left your mouth open any longer, people would think I'd petrified you." he stated dully.

"Oh yeah right! Like you'd ever get the chance." I snorted, adjusting my Materia.

Suddenly, there was a rush of movement and Sephiroth was behind me. He twisted my right arm up behind my back and held his longsword (Masamune if I recall rightly) at my throat.

"I could petrify you...Right. Now." he hissed in my ear.

I snorted at this. "No chance. Nipple Cripple!!" I cried.

Using the hand he had forced behind my back, I dug my fingers into the skin he TOTALLY should have worn a shirt over, and pinched him hard.

I heard an audible yell and he backed up completely. I was thrown to the ground in the process. While the show-pony recovered from the Titty-Twister, I stood up and dusted myself down in between rolls of laughter.

"I told you so! They didn't _invite_ me to 1st Class for nothing, genius!" I choked between hysterics.

Uttering an audible "humph" as he walked past me, Sephiroth continued down the street. Much to my annoyance, I had little choice but to follow. This little "stroll" went on for about half an hour before Sephiroth pulled up a citizen. He had dark hair, baggy jeans, a black t-shirt and an oversized khaki jacket..everyday attire for citizens in the Slums, but something in his face was off. He was just a little bit _too_ nervous.

"Hey! Sephiroth!" I exclaimed, turning my attention away from the man. "You think-?"

"Yes." he stated shortly, his eyes narrowing at the man.

He was a Wutai Spy!

It didn't take long for Sephiroth to squeeze out some information from the cowardly Wutai Troop. Disguising himself as a citizen had done him absolutely no good. Both Sephiroth and myself are very good as discerning liars from truth-tellers. I know I can, because I've been doing it for years...but Sephiroth, I read that his level of Lie-Detector is a little more advanced than mine. Still...he'd be no match for me in battle!

After knocking the man unconcious and binding him heavily with rope that I convieniently had in my bag, Sephiroth turned to address me.

"He said there was a bar near here where the troops are trying to round up Anti-Shinra citizens. They are recruiting from the bar. We have to-" Suddenly, Sephiroth's mobile beeped annoyingly at him. He pulled it out and flipped it open.

"Sephiroth here." Pause, "Yes, we found one. Sector 8." Another pause. "Yes. A bar in the Slums." I could hear Angeal's deep voice on the other end. "Of course. Get here as soon as you can. Miss Albright and I will investigate in the meantime. It's called The Mako Glass bar. Alright. Goodbye."

"So, we gonna sneak in?" I asked, watching him put his phone away.

"Yes. I will borrow some attire from this gentleman," he poked the unconcious Wutai Troop with the toe of his boot, "but you..."

Suddenly, I remembered what was in my bag. "I have some stuff I can change into! Here, look!" I reached into my rugsack and pulled out my favourite black cargos and my baby blue turtleneck.

"Nobody will even recognize us!" I exclaimed with a grin. Suddenly I had a thought. "Hey! Your hair! Everyone will know it's you! I have an idea!"

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a black and silver truckers cap. Written on the front was Gongaga Mages. The look on his face as he read it made me flush red with embarrasment.

"Hey! I was in a Materia Study club okay? I've had that cap since I was 14! And tie your hair up too! You look like a vampire or something!"

I tossed him a black hair tie from my wrist and laughed as he fumbled to catch it. He tied his hair back in a loose ponytail and turned to me.

"You need to locate the area of the bar. I will dump this miscreit somewhere unnoticable and take his garments." Sephiroth started dragging the unconcious man into an alley full of crates and scrap metal.

I gave him a 2-finger salute. "Aye captain!" I scurged, turning tail and jogging off.

The Mako Glass bar was only a several minute walk onto another street of the Sector 8 Slums. By the time I returned, Sephiroth had changed into the Wutai Spy's outfit and I gotta say...he didn't look half bad. If I hadn't known any better, I could have easily mistaken him for a normal person.

I grinned at him as he dusted down the new outfit. "You scrub up well! Here, put this on." I tossed him my Gongaga Mages cap and watched him tuck away the silver hair at the sides.

"Tuck the ponytail in at the back too." I stated, pointing to the trail of silver hair resting down his back, "Into the shirt."

He did so then stood straight and turned away, walking to the edge of the alley.

"Your turn." he stated, watching the street.

I ducked behind a tall pile of big crates, I pulled off my SOLDIER uniform and changed into the turtleneck and cargos. I rolled my uniform up neatly and tucked it into the large bag. Finally I stepped out from the alley and tapped Sephiroth on the shoulder. "Where's your uniform?" I asked.

He showed me a rolled up pile of clothes with the shoulder plates rested on top.

I sighed. "Tell you what, it's a good thing my bag is as big as it is. Put your stuff in here!"

I held my bag open and he carelessly stuffed his SOLDIER clothing in the bag. It was quite a bit heavier now, carrying 2 SOLDIER uniforms, but hey! Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"Okay...we ready?" I asked, pulling my hair into a high ponytail, letting the breeze blow it behind my shoulder.

Sephiroth nodded and rounded the corner, leaving me to follow.


	2. Hot Like Tobasco

**Sephiroth's P.O.V**

An hour and a half I had been here. Scoping out the Mako Glass bar, trying to blend in. I looked at the drink in my hand, half a glass of water. I didn't want to consume any alcohol...I needed to be alert for signs of the Wutai Spies.

Albright, on the other hand, was not being subtle at all. She had taken a seat over at one of the lounges, drinking with several of the men. She was being loud, obnoxious, and completely unprofessional.

Lazard would be hearing about this. The first female ever to be conducted into SOLDIER, and she acts like a child! I glanced over at the crowd that had formed around her. All of them looked a little tipsy, but Albright was still downing beers and shots like it was nothing.

Suddenly, one of the men whispered something in her ear.

Even with my enhanced hearing, I couldn't make out the words over the music and noise. However, I guessed what he said...because of her reaction.

"NO WAY! I HATE SHINRA TOO!" She yelled loudly, laughing as though it were the funniest thing in the world.

_If she blows our cover...I'm going to END her._ I thought dangerously. Suddenly I noticed her coming over to me, two or three men surrounding her.

"Hey! Silver! These guys are fellow Shinra haters! They wanna have a meeting with us! Come on!" she exclaimed, loudly.

I nodded and put down my drink, getting of my seat at the bar.

"Why exactly do you call him Silver?" One of the men asked as we made our way to a doorway at the back of the club.

She laughed. "Because that's what our Mom named him! Right Silver?"

I gripped her arm tightly as the men walked ahead to the door, leaving us a little way back.

"What exactly did you tell them?" I hissed quietly at her, watching the men punching in a code.

_*7143*_ I thought, memorizing the code.

"I told them the truth Silver! Y'know...that we're from Gongaga, your my geeky little Materia Study club brother whose name is Silver, and I'm your totally cool big sister!"  
"_What_?" I hissed, keeping my voice low as possible as we approached the door.

"Hey, Miss Sarah! You and your brother coming?" one of the men asked.

She nodded and gave a drunken giggle. "Yup! Come on Silver! You heard the man! Let's go!"

I uttered a growl as she made her way through the door.

We were led down a corridor and shown into a small room. All that was in there was a round wooden table and several chairs. The men gestured to the chairs and we sat down.

"So, what's this meeting about?" Albright laughed, her alcohol dilated pupils making her appear hazy and drunk.

"Well, we know you guys are Anti-Shinra." Said one of the men, leaning across the table in front of us, his eyes focusing from one to the other. "Sarah has told us all about your family history Mr Silver. She explained how Shinra's reactor destroyed much of Gongaga's village."

I nodded, trying to act solemn. "Yes...We lost many friends and family that day."

The man nodded. "Well, these men and myself are Wutai troops. We have been rounding up Anti-Shinra people from the slums to help us. Sarah," the man turned to Albright with a gentle look on his face that I can't say I liked, "we want you and your brother to join us."

"Sarah" got to her feet and laughed extremely loudly.

"NO WAY!" she squealed, "WHERE DO I SIGN UP!"

Taking my cue, I also got to my feet, playing the "concerned brother" card like I was supposed to. "Now wait a moment. Before we sign up for anything, I want to see the one in charge of this whole operation. I won't let..." I swallowed my next words. "...my sister, get into anything I don't know about."

The man who had spoken to Albright, looked to his men, then nodded. "Very well...Bring in the boss."

He exited the room, passing Albright a flirtatious smile. However she either didn't notice or she ignored it completely because she didn't make any form of response. Instead she turned to me with a grin. I noticed that she had her cell phone in her hand under the table. She had called Angeal...he was listening to the entire thing.

While the ring leader was out of the room and the two other, half drunken men were not paying attention, I sent a text message to Zack's cell under the table.

_The code is 7143 at the back of the club. You and Angeal can punch in the number and wait in the corridor for a signal. The room is the 5th door on the right._

After I showed it to Albright and sent the message, the lead man came back with another behind him. The "boss" was tall, thin and dressed in a suit. He smiled at us as he took a seat at the table, directly across from us.

"Now...I hear you are hesitant to join the Resistance...Why is this?" he stated, picking some dirt from underneath his nails.

Albright gave a drunk laugh. "Ah don't worry about Silver! My dorky brother just wants to make sure you guys are legit before he lets us both sign up!"

The man gave a nod. "Very well...what would you like to know."

I narrowed my eyes. "How long have you been in action?"

"Since the beginning of the Wutai War." he explained, leaning onto the table in front of him.

I nodded. "And, where are headquarters located. I do not want Sarah involved in anything too far from our home."

The man nodded again, understanding my "concerns" of the situation.

"We are in almost every city and village in the area, however our main base is located in the mountain ranges outside Nibelheim."

I nodded, then made eye contact with Albright and gave another nod. She grinned broadly and pulled her cell phone from under the table.

"NOW!" She yelled into it, laughing madly at the shocked looks on the Wutainese troops faces.

Angeal and Zack burst into the room with several Shinra troops as back up.

The troops were quickly arrested and hauled away.

Angeal and Zack stayed behind while I filled them in on what we had found out. Once they left, I turned to Albright.

"I'm surprised that you were able to fool them...even through your drunken stupor." I drawled calmly, knowing she probably wouldn't understand a word.

To my shock, she gave a calm, un-drunken chuckle. "Drunken stupor? Sephiroth, I am almost completely sober! You didn't honestly think that I'd get blind ass drunk on a mission do you?"

My jaw hung in absolute shock. _She had been acting the WHOLE time_?

She slid a finger under my chin and snapped my mouth closed.

"If you left your mouth open any longer, people would think I'd petrified you." she laughed cheekily. She gave me a wink, and exited the room.

**Lex's P.O.V**

Once we reached Headquarters, I was greeted by Tseng. "Well done Miss Albright." he stated with a smile. "I hear you performance was quite convincing."

I gave him a grin and made a Peace sign with my fingers. "That's right baby! Nobody can fake being drunk like me!"

I gave the Turk a poke in the forehead, getting him right on his forehead dot. He'd never actually _explained_ to me what it was for.

Sephiroth entered the room right behind me, dressed in his usual SOLDIER attire. I too was back in my uniform, my hair pulled from the ponytail. Following Tseng to the table, I gave a relieved sigh.

"Man! Now I'm really tired! Do we have anymore missions today?" I groaned, cracking my knuckles.

Tseng shook his head. "No. Interrogations on the Wutai troops will be starting now, and once we get some solid information out of them, you will be informed immediately."

I grinned and got to my feet. "Awesome, now...I think I'm gonna go on home!"

I cracked my knuckles with a grin before turning to exit the room, smacking straight into Sephiroth. The force caused me fall on my butt on the floor.

"God damn it Sephiroth!" I snapped. "Do you really _have_ to park your fat ass right behind me?"

In the corner of my eye I saw a smirk tug at Tseng's mouth. Sephiroth, however, was obviously very _not_ amused by my remark.

I got to my feet and dusted myself off. Then I poked Sephiroth in the chest. "Lose some weight you fat bitch." I snickered, finally able to exit the room.

Once I walked out onto the SOLDIER floor, I noticed Zack talking to a young boy, blonde spiky hair covering his head. I knew someone with blonde spiky hair once...when I lived in Nibelheim...Surely it couldn't be-

I walked a little closer. They were talking about the blonde's admiration towards Zack and SOLDIER.

"Hey, Zack!" I called, walked over to them. He raised his head and turned with a grin. "Whatcha doin' man?"

The black haired young man gave a chuckle. "Not much. Just talking with Cloud here."

My eyes widened. "Cloud?" I turned to the young boy, my jaw agape. "Cloud Strife?"

It was his turn to be surprised now. "Uh...yeah! How'd you know?"

"It's me Lex! I used to live in Nibelheim!" I exclaimed, pointing to myself.

Cloud shook his head. "I'm sorry-"

"Oh don't worry...You probably don't remember...you were only 7 years old when I left."

I turned my attention to Zack, pointing happily at Cloud. "I'm telling you Zack! I used to babysit this guy when I lived in Nibelheim! I swear to God! All he ever wanted me to feed him was cookie dough!"

I saw the blush creep into Cloud's face at mention of this. This made me laugh. "Remember me now Cloudy?"

The young boy gave a laugh. "Unfortunately..."

I clipped him around the back of the ear and snickered at him. "That's not very nice you know! I'm in SOLDIER kid, better treat me nicely."

Cloud looked up at me, my arm still around the skinny boy's shoulders. "You're in SOLDIER?"

I gave a single sharp nod. "First female initiate in Shinra history. Pretty impressive hey, Kid?"

"Yeah! It must be wonderful to be in SOLDIER..." I noticed his expression falter, his eyes portraying a certain sadness.

"Don't worry Cloud! You keep at it and one day you'll be 1st Class! I bet you'll even be better than Sephiroth! It's not like it's hard!" I grinned.

Cloud made a strangled noise. "You-you shouldn't say things like that!"

I noticed Zack's eyes flicker behind me. Sensing the immense amount of energy, I could only assume the person behind me was Sephiroth...of course. However I completely ignored him.

"Oh really, Cloud? What's Sephiroth gonna do? Gobble me up so that I can assist in the rapid growth of his enormous thighs?"

Cloud's face flushed red and he turned away, obviously afraid to say anything in return.

It was Zack who responded. "Lex...maybe you should take that back..."

I snorted, feeling Sephiroth's anger. Psh! He doesn't scare me!

"Why would I take back something I'm not ashamed to say?"

I could just picture Sephiroth standing behind me, his eye twitching.

"He's nothing but a show pony."

I sensed another twitch.

"He eats like a pony too! He's like a freaking horse!"

Another...

"Maybe if he got a decent sword to swing around, he'd lose some weight!"

I smirked as I felt a hand grasp me roughly on the shoulder. He spung me around and glared at me dangerously.

"Zack, you can take Cloud to the cafeteria for something to eat if you want. I can handle Graydilocks." I drawled calmly.

Zack gave me a look. "But Lex-"

"You heard her." Sephiroth growled, his voice dangerously low. This made Zack nod and pull Cloud away.

I smirked as Sephiroth tightened his grip on my shoulder. He was trying to intimidate me.

"Aww...whatsa matter? Did I hurt 'ickle Sephywoth's feewing by cawwing him fatty watty?" I cooed, giving him a dry smirk.

"How. Dare. You." he hissed.

He was trying to create some sort of "I'm gonna hurt you" mood, but to me it was just funny! See, intimidation is a trick that has never worked on me. Not by anyone!

"How dare I what? Dude, it's not my fault you can't find a decent sword. I mean, seriously! How much damage can you do with that oversized toothpick?"

Sephiroth pushed me down the hall a few feet, making me land on the floor. He pointed his longsword at me and slid the tip under my chin.

"How about I show you?" he smirked, an evil glint crossing his eye.

However, I mirrored this evil smirk...because I know something he doesn't. I have Jenova Cells just like him, but HE doesn't know that.

"Go ahead, Sephiroth. I double dare you."

He didn't seem prepared for my answer. I guess he had expected me to cry and beg for mercy...fat chance. However I guess he decided to "warn" me, because he applied just a little pressure to my neck, causing just a tiny nick.

He scowled as a little trickle of blood ran down my throat. However I smiled.

"Are you done with your tantrum yet?" I snapped. I pushed his sword away with my left arm, causing a deep wound on the side of my wrist. I ignored this and got to my feet.

"Check it again." I stated curtly. I walked past the sword, and stood right before him. Lifting my neck I wiped away the blood to reveal a healing wound. Then I raised my wrist for him to observe the closing cut. "Guess who." I whispered.

His eyes narrowed at me. "Jenova Cells."

I nodded sharply. "That's right. You want to be the best hero SOLDIER ever saw? You're gonna have to compete with me now...partner."

Giving him a smug smirk, I walked calmly down the hall towards the elevator, my eyes brimming with triumph.

_That ought to teach 'im!_ I thought happily as the lift opened and I stepped in.

It was time for me to go to bed. Unlike a lot of SOLDIER operatives who stayed in Shinra Housing provided by the company, I had my own place. Nothing too flash, just a two bedroom apartment in the city.

As I spotted my apartment building, I broke into a grin. Hopefully my stuff had finally arrived safely from Gongaga. I had been here only 3 or 4 days before starting at Shinra, and my important possessions hadn't arrived yet.

I climbed the three flights of stairs and stopped in the hallway of my floor. Several large boxes were scattered in front of my door, with a note from my across-the-hall-neighbor.

_Alexis,_

_The delivery guy came today with your things. I would have left them in my apartment, but I had to shoot off to work. So I just signed for them and gave the guy your contact number. Call me tomorrow and let me know how work is going._

_Bet Shinra's not all it's cracked up to be! Haha._

_Later, Riley _

Riley Summers is my new neighbor. I met him the first day I moved in, he'd helped me arrange my furniture and stuff into the apartment. He was a young guy, about 24 or 25. He had dark hair, aqua colored eyes and a killer smile. He seemed like the kind of guy that all the girls would go for, but I had already come to see him as an older brother. He worked as Assistant Editor at the large newspaper company in the heart of Midgar. However he told me that he inspired to be a fiction writer, and I gotta tell ya! I've read some of his work...he's got a real talent for it. He's dating a girl by the name of…I think it was Sarah, or Sophia? Something like that.

Opening my apartment, I started to haul the boxes into my living room. After they were all inside, I scribbled a little message on a pink post it note and stuck it to his door before closing mine behind me.

_Riley,_

_Thanks for that buddy! Work was really good! I got to make fun of the un-almighty Sephiroth today. Haha. I'll try to call you when I can. I think the schedule in SOLDIER is a little unpredictable. Hope everything's going well. How's your better half doing? :p_

_Hugs and Kisses, Lex._

Entering my room, I started to remove my uniform. I changed into some black pajama pants, and a red tank top with "Hot Like Tobasco" written on it in flamed writing.

Once I was comfortable, I crouched in front of the boxes in my living room and started to dig through them, searching for one item in particular.

_Please don't be broken, please oh PLEASE don't be broken_! I thought to myself, digging furiously.

A smile touched my face as I saw what I had been looking for.

My weapons.

I have a very large assortment of combat items. See, my parents always knew that Shinra planned for me to join SOLDIER...what with being a Jenova infused baby and all. So therefore my father had invested a lot of money in having me trained.

I can perform hand-to-hand combat, wield a sword, shoot a gun and use a wide variety of Materia. I'd never really wanted to be in SOLDIER as a kid, but once I discovered that I would be the first woman ever to be initiated into Shinra's most elite fighting class, I practiced my lessons with gusto.

Peeling the bubble wrap back from the boxes, I pulled out my favorite sword. The blade was made of steel and onyx, fused together in a marbled fashion. The hilt was forged from pure steel, and had several slots in which to place Materia.

Next weapon to come out was my gun. I very rarely used this weapon, as I wasn't quite as skilled in long range weapons. Don't get me wrong, I can hit my target just fine, but I find it too much pressure to hold my hands perfectly steady. My gun is made from quality gunmetal. The barrel is long, sleek, and pitch black. In the handle was only one Materia slot, which made it stronger than most of my other weapons.

Placing the gun on my couch next to my sword, I dug a little deeper down. Sitting safely beneath many more layers of bubble wrap, was my metal knuckled gloves. These were made from a skin-tight brown leather, and had solid metal plates molded across the knuckle. These had absolutely no Materia slots and were to be used as a last resource. Tossing them on the couch, I tossed the empty box across the floor and grabbed another.

This box was full of my Materia, my stock from Gongaga. The Materia I had used on my SOLDIER mission was only a small collection. See, just like Sephiroth, I have A LOT of Mastered Materia. However I prefer to use my NON-Mastered Materia. It's more of a challenge. Once I Master a Materia, I only use it on important missions. Usually I try to stock as much novice equipment as possible, otherwise I use up too much energy when I cast things like Thundaga or Fira. I might have high endurance, but I'm not too strong in the magic area.

Gently pushing my Materia box next to the couch, I stood up and headed for the kitchen, picking up the phone.

I punched in my parent's number and headed over to the fridge to get something to eat. Pulling out a box of Pocky from the back shelf, I ripped it open and started to eat some before my father answered the phone.

After about 7 rings, I heard his voice on the other end.

"_Hello_?"

"Hey Dad! It's Lex!" I laughed, happy to hear my father.

"_Oh hey, Sweetheart! How are you? You had your first mission today didn't you?_"

I put another Pocky in my mouth, crunching loudly. "You bet! I totally showed them what a country girl from Gongaga can do!"

"_Glad to hear it Kiddo! Hey, your Mother wants to talk to you. You okay to chat?_"

"Yeah, sure thing Dad."

There was a few seconds of silence where the phone exchanged hands, then my mother's voice floated through the mouth piece.

"_Hey Lexi. How was your first day?_"

"Great Mom! I got to kick some Wutai Spy butt! I'm just waiting on some more information from HeadQuarters."

"_Did you see Tseng?_" she asked, a slightly pressuring tone in her voice.

I rolled my eyes. I had known this was coming. "Yes I did Mom."

"_Did you-_"

"-And NO Mom! He did NOT say anything about us! Neither did I!"

I heard my mother sigh on the other end of the line. "_Sweetheart, I don't see why not! You two were such a nice cou-_"

"Mom! Drop it will you? I am not getting back with Tseng! Just because he's your perfect son-in-law doesn't give us grounds to get back together! We're just friends now!"

"_Don't you take that tone with me young lady!_" she snapped.

"Mom!" I whined, taking a Pocky stick from the packet and sticking it in my mouth like cigarette. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Hang on a second Mom, someone's at the door."

I shuffled through my lounge towards the door.

"_If it's Tseng I want to talk to him!_" my mother snapped on the other end.

Sucking on my "Pocky-Cigarette," I rolled my eyes again. "Mom, it's not Tseng okay!" I shouted into the phone before opening the door.

Standing in my hallway was a certain Silver-haired SOLDIER.

I nearly choked on my Pocky. "S-Sephiroth?" I spat, "What are you doing here?"

"_Alexis! Who's Sephiroth? Is he your boyfriend? Is that the reason you won't get back with Tseng? Let me talk to him!_"

Sephiroth gave me a bizarre look as my eyes widened in horror. "GROSS! MOM!" I shrieked into the phone. "I'm gonna call you back okay. Bye."

"_Alexis! Don't you dare hang up on m-_"

I clicked the phone and dropped it to my side.

"What are you doing _here_?" I asked, shooting Sephiroth a confused look.

He sighed and shook his head. "Tseng wants us to interrogate the Wutai Troops we took in. They want to see what we can get out of them further."

I swallowed my Pocky stick and opened the packet a little wider, dissapointed to find it empty. "So...why did you come here? Why didn't Tseng just call me?"

"He did. Several times. But you must have...been busy." He smirked a little as he referred to the phone call with my mother.

"Oh shut up!" I snapped, slapping him on the shoulder. "How long were you standing out here?"

Sephiroth smirked. "Long enough. It seems sad you would disappoint your mother about Tseng."

My jaw hung open and I threw the empty Pocky box at him, whacking him in the forehead.

"Okay...whatever. Just come inside and wait for me. I have to get changed." I grabbed him by the belts across his chest and dragged him into my living room before he could respond.

The little old lady who lives down the hall from me is a suspicious and snide gossip, so if she spotted Sephiroth waiting for me outside she would jump to conclusions. She'd probably tell everyone he was my boyfriend or something. Ergh...I shuddered at the thought.

"Interesting clothing." Sephiroth murmured, standing awkwardly in front of my couch.

I looked down at my black and red pajamas and felt a blush run across my face. "Uh...they're just pajamas...I….uh...HEY STOP IT!"

My eyes narrowed at him as I noticed him smirking behind his hand. I sighed and raised a hand to my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Wait here. I'm gonna go get ready." I turned and chucked the phone carelessly on the coffee table. Sephiroth was still just standing in front of my couch, almost afraid to move. This made me laugh. "You can sit down you know, the couch isn't going to swallow you. Stuck-up morons are bad for its indegestion. I won't be long, just gotta have a shower and change. Remote is there, you can watch the t.v or something."

He gave a nod and sat awkwardly on my blue, velvety sofa. This made me laugh as I rounded the corner. I ducked into my bedroom and grabbed my uniform and some clean "essentials" before heading into my ensuite.

I showered quickly and pulled on my uniform, fixing the plates on my shoulders. Once I was fully clothed I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror. My jade eyes and long, dark hair stared back at me.

My dad had always wanted me to cut my hair off. He said long hair got in the way in battle, but I like it long. It's ebony black and pin straight. It's easy to deal with, I don't have to spend anytime prettying it up...not that I would've anyway.

Upon entering my lounge, I saw Sephiroth watching a program on the news. He looked very bored, considering he was leaning right back on my couch with his hand on his chin.

"Okay. Let's go." I stated quickly, tucking my shirt into the belt. Pressing the remote's off button, Sephiroth rose to his feet.

"We'll be going to HeadQuarters to interrogate the Spies. We need to force the information out of them."

Giving a nod, I picked my cellphone off the coffee table and followed him out my front door.


End file.
